Behind the Wheel

kryptonite.jpg San Francisco sure does love its bicycles. Every time we get on the Bay Bridge in our *gasp* car, we wish there was a way to ride our bike across the bridge to work. Yes, we take BART too, but wouldn't it be great if there was a bike lane to use on the bridge? I'm sure plenty of bicyclists would agree, but we digress...

Last week, the Mission's Chris Brennan posted an Internet warning regarding Kryptonite bike locks. He had heard from one of his bicyclist friends that Kryptonite locks could easily be opened with a Bic pen. So, he tried it. His friend was right indeed; the lock opened right up. Chris immediately posted a warning to a popular bike message board which said, "Your brand new U-lock is not safe!" You can click here to see Chris's posting.

According to the Chronicle, Chris's warning has now been viewed by more than 300,000 people. Chris comments in the Chron, "People who are really serious about locking up their bike, people who will spend $90 or $100 on a lock, are obviously protecting an investment of a few thousand dollars, which they leave out on the streets of San Francisco every day". You are right, Chris. We would think that a company as large as Kryptonite would have tested all of their locks in a million ways possible. This flaw should have been caught, and has probably caused a great many bicyclists to have their wheels or bikes stolen because of this. Thanks Chris for spreading the word so other bicyclists would watch out.

According to Kryptonite web site, the recalled lock models include: the Evolution lock, KryptoLok lock, New York Chain, New York Noose, Evolution Disc Lock, KryptoDisco and DFS Disc Lock. They are offering a free product upgrade to customers who have purchased one of these locks in the past 2 years.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@sfist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
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By tara in on September 20, 2004 8:00 AM Comments 0 Likes Likes

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